Do I need a trickle charger?

If you drive it once a month. which is way to infrequent...once a week is better...you should not need a trickle charger. And, one would only need a Ferrari designed charger if the battery was designed by Ferrari... which it ain't!

 

After the bruises and bad words required last weekend to put new batteries on my two cars, I'm thinking a Battery Tender for both cars this winter..

Ricambi has recommended Deltran, and Griot's has one as well. Much smaller than a full size charger.

 

Do a search. There was a thread on this topic about a month or so ago.

 

Battery tenders are a must for all but daily drivers. I use the ones from Deltran, they work fine now (the earlier ones had reliability problems). I believe the one from Griots is made by Deltrans, with Griots adding its name to it and sprucing it up a bit.

 

I would say definately yes. It can also reduce the risk of alternator failure too. The Porsche one will be fine, as long as it is fully automatic. I use an Accumate connected to the cigar socket.

 

FYI, FoA sells Interstate Battery trickle chargers .

 

The alternater was my concern as well...not good to jump it off and have that lil' thing overheat, trying to top the battery up!

 

Agree with Frank on all counts longer than a month then a Battery Tender is good I used that with my TR which I kept in Florida with no problems for two years.

 

I've posted on this topic a few times (search). Bottom line, it's CHEAP INSURANCE. $50 for a top-quality Deltran Battery Tender? Sure beats jacking the car up, removing a wheel (348/355) and changing out the battery. Having it on a tender can't hurt, and can only help your battery last longer and potentially save your alternator.

FYI, ImagineAuto, a very noted high-line Porsche shop, is currently running a Group-Buy (on Rennlist.com) on Deltran Battery Tenders (the Plus model, not the junior), for $50 DELIVERED. I've just ordered another one (too many cars). [Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated, no pecuniary interest, blah blah blah, just think very highly of ImagineAuto.] I've copied the info from Rennlist below.

vty,

--Dennis




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It's about the time of year where those of us in less ideal climates need to start thinking about what's going to happen to the batteries in our cars as they sit quietly while we drive cars more suited for salty, sandy, snowy, slushy streets. A car battery really should last 5-10 years. But letting them run completely flat can take years off the life of your battery every time it happens. That's where a "battery tender" comes in really handy. Motorcyclists have known about these for a long time, but those who stick to four wheels might not be as familiar with the benefits of a battery tender. You simply hook them up to a battery, either in, or removed from your vehicle, and walk away. They'll keep the battery in ideal condition for many months.

We are offering these miraculous devices (or at least very handy ones) as a group buy. And we are offering the best of them too. When you think cotton swabs you think Q-Tip, when you think of battery tenders, you think Battery Tender. Their standard model is the Battery Tender Plus that retails for $59.95 plus shipping. Our group buy offer for this is $50 delivered. We need at least 10 people to get in on this to make it work. These would make an
excellent holiday gift as well, so buy a couple!

Just email or call me to get on the list (info is in the signature). We're offering this group buy until December 4th to make sure those of you who purchase them as gifts get them in time.

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!

__________________
ImagineAuto
German car performance
Check us out for parts for all your cars
913.310.9927 [email protected]

 

Why is it an issue...$20 at Walmart and use it or not as you like..not a big investment. I have five for various vehicles including a coupl'a Ducatis

 

You don't mention what model you have. If it's a 308 or 328, you can just disconnect the ground if you drive once a month. Later models can be troublesome to re-boot all the electronics if the battery dies or is disconnected. Our local dealer now installs and gives away Deltrons with every new car so people won't have the problem. My 430 manual says the car should not sit longer than 2 weeks without driving or charging. The ground can be disconnected, but rebooting has to be done with some care. I don't think it would be good to do as regular practivce, so trickle charger it is.

Dave

 

Sears sells a fully automatic float charger for $29. They work perfectly and are very well made units, IMHO. I have a couple that I use for my old XKEs, since they sit most of the winter. I start the Ferrari more often, so don't bother with the charger.

 

I have 2 TR/M's and both of them have the Griott's charger installed permanently in them. The two units I have are made by Yuasha and they have a charge system and a maintain system. The most important thing is that Ferrari's have small starter motors and you do NOT want to engage a DC motor on a low battery charge because you will do immense damage to the starter. I am sure that there are many chargers/maintainers-just make sure that when the Battery is fully charged the maintainer goes to standby mode and does not continue to charge the battery at a reduced rate--because you can damage the battery that way.
DISCLAIMER: not a plug fror Griott, just something I have found to work dependably at not a lot of money.

 

I have one mounted in my 308. I went to Wal-Mart and bought one of those thick heavy duty outdoor extension cords and cut/spliced it just the right length so it just peeks out of the grill. This way all I need to do is plug into the front of the car as needed. It's been working great for 8 years.

 

I use the Porsche units on both my pantera and ferrari and they are fine, automatically cut off when charged, however I have had earth cutoffs fitted to both cars now so if they are lying up for anymore than a week i just disconnect the battery.
steve

 

The $50 one should work just as well for you then...

Chris

 

Deltran

Battery Tender Waterproof

 

I don't have one and drive once or twice a month and have not had any problems. If you have a car alarm, they can put a larger drain on the battery, so you may need one if you have an alarm. I like the Battery Tender brand, easy to install and inexpensive.
BT

 

Probably... I used this one for years (as do a lot of F-Chatters) and it worked perfectly. They're all over eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-Deltran-Battery-Tender-Plus-12-Volt-1-25A_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6755QQitemZ4592958369QQrdZ1

 

Question?
I have a tricke charger.
I have a lighter adapter.
Do I attach the pos to the center feed of the lighter adapter?
Just want to be sure.

stephen

 

I would connect a trickle charger directly to the battery. The last thing you want to do is take a chance with damaging the weird electrical system of a Ferrari by running current through the lighter circuit which is connected to no telling what other circuitry! I know on a Boxer the lighter circuit is connected to the radiator fan circuit!

 

I have used Battery Minders on all sorts of equipment and you can get the best prices here:

http://www.batterymart.com/battery.mv?p=VDC-12112

They come with a clamp connector and a lug connector. The latter can be left on the battery and quick-connected/disconnected to the charger by just plugging/unplugging. I put lug connectors on all the equipment and then just rotate chargers, giving each battery a couple of weeks at a time. However, these chargers can also be left on one battery indefinitely, will not overcharge and will also de-sulphate the battery, which is more of a problem during warm weather if the car is not driven. Even if you run the car once a week during the winter, the drain to start may not be replaced entirely, especially if the battery is a couple of years old. These chargers/minders are cheap insurance.

 

In a post on the first page there is a post by 1 f-chatter using a trickle charger with a ciger adapter.

Your pont is well taken. I could connect leads directly to the battery and run them to a easy access point under the hood near the spare tire.

I saw the post wnd remembered how hard it was for me to remove the spare tire when I replaced the foam air filters/ was looking for the easy way out

thanks